{"id":2423338,"date":"2025-04-14T13:49:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shaq-comes-face-to-face-with-trump-shows-respect-in-epic-moment-at-ufc-314\/"},"modified":"2025-04-14T13:50:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:50:51","slug":"shaq-comes-face-to-face-with-trump-shows-respect-in-epic-moment-at-ufc-314","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shaq-comes-face-to-face-with-trump-shows-respect-in-epic-moment-at-ufc-314\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaq Comes Face-to-Face with Trump, Shows Respect in Epic Moment at UFC 314"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fshaq-comes-face-to-face-with-trump-shows-respect-in-epic-moment-at-ufc-314%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2423338&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>At UFC 314, which took place on Saturday at Miami&#8217;s Kaseya Center, NBA legend Shaquille O\u2019Neal had a memorable encounter with former President Donald Trump. The two exchanged a respectful handshake that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sketch-artist-responds-to-critics-who-say-he-made-trump-too-young-good-looking\/\" title=\"Sketch artist defends portrayal of Trump against critics who claim he appears too youthful and attractive.\">quickly gained attention online<\/a>, celebrated by crowds for showcasing the admiration between them. This interaction was captured on video by White House communications advisor Margo Martin and shared on social media, sparking excitement among fans of both figures.<\/p>\n<p>The event featured thrilling fights, including Alexander volkanovski reclaiming his UFC Featherweight title after a fierce five-round match, and Paddy Pimblett securing a TKO win over Michael Chandler, marking a meaningful moment in his career. Trump\u2019s attendance,noted for its star power,included other notable figures such as FBI Director Kash Patel and Senator Ted Cruz. Amidst the electrifying atmosphere of the UFC card, the handshake between Shaquille O&#8217;Neal and Trump stood out as a highlight of the evening, further emphasizing O&#8217;Neal&#8217;s ability to connect across various spheres in a polarized world.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, NBA legend Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal came face-to-face with President Donald Trump at UFC 314 in Miami&rsquo;s Kaseya Center, sharing a respectful handshake that quickly went viral. The interaction, met with roaring cheers, highlighted the mutual admiration between two iconic figures.<\/p>\n<p>The moment was captured in a video d on X by White House communications advisor Margo Martin, showing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-shaq-saved-kid-bullied-kid-turned-around-saved-shaqs-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">O&rsquo;Neal<\/a> leaning in to meet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-just-aced-special-medical-test-biden-terrified-take\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump<\/a> eye-to-eye before extending a hand in respect.<\/p>\n<p>Watch the clip below to see the crowd erupt as the two legends connected:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">President Trump &#129309; Shaq <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cTnQzUJ41l\">pic.twitter.com\/cTnQzUJ41l<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MargoMartin47\/status\/1911240112735727698?\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>O&rsquo;Neal, a four-time NBA champion and listed at over 7-feet tall, towered over Trump, a two-time U.S. general election winner and listed at roughly 6-foot-3, as they exchanged words, their smiles reflecting genuine respect. For fans, it was a thrilling collision of sports and cultural giants.<\/p>\n<p>X users buzzed with excitement, with all manner of positive comments under Martin&rsquo;s post capturing the sentiment. The respectful exchange resonated deeply with those who admire both men &mdash; which is apparently quite a large Venn diagram overlap.<\/p>\n<p>UFC 314 wasn&rsquo;t lacking for star power inside the octagon, either. The card was headlined by a UFC Featherweight Championship bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.<\/p>\n<p>Volkanovski won the vacant title in a thrilling five-round battle, reclaiming his spot as featherweight king. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/beautiful-and-gracious-melania-trump-publishes-farewell-message-after-her-four-years-of-abuse-as-americas-most-elegant-first-lady\/\" title=\"Beautiful and Gracious Melania Trump Publishes Farewell Message After Her Four Years of Abuse as America\u2019s Most Elegant First Lady\">crowd cheered wildly<\/a> as he celebrated his victory.<\/p>\n<p>The co<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">-main event featured<\/a> a lightweight clash between Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett. Pimblett secured a TKO win in the third round, a career-defining moment for the rising star.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>WARNING: The following clip contains violent imagery that some viewers may find disturbing.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">THE KING OF THE NORTH &#128081;<\/p>\n<p>Paddy Pimblett earns the Round 3 TKO for the biggest win in his career!<\/p>\n[[<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC314?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC314<\/a> | LIVE NOW on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNPlus?\">@ESPNPlus<\/a> PPV ] <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2vC9ygf7Nv\">pic.twitter.com\/2vC9ygf7Nv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; UFC (@ufc) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ufc\/status\/1911272638997209232?\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s presence at UFC 314 added extra excitement on top of the electric card. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/04\/12\/us-news\/trump-set-to-attend-ufc-314-in-miami-with-fbi-director-others\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a>, he arrived with FBI Director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/kash-patel-sounds-alarm-swat-teams-keep-appearing-innocent-conservatives-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kash Patel<\/a>, Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard &mdash; among others &mdash; underscoring the event&rsquo;s high profile.<\/p>\n<p>Trump didn&rsquo;t stop at greeting O&rsquo;Neal. He also mingled with other celebrities, making the night a genuinely star-studded affair.<\/p>\n<p>Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy d a handshake with Trump. UFC commentator and podcast titan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-light-bulb-goes-off-joe-rogans-head-christian-apologist-explains-gospel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joe Rogan<\/a> also received a warm embrace from the president.<\/p>\n<p>Elon Musk was another big name present. Despite some ongoing backlash related to the Department of Government Efficiency he heads, fans cheered the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blade-runner-2049-studio-sues-elon-musk-claims-his-rhetoric-veers-into-hate-speech\/\" title=\"&#039;Blade Runner 2049&#039; Studio Sues Elon Musk, Claims His Rhetoric &#039;Veers Into Hate Speech&#039;\">tech mogul&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s attendance.<\/p>\n<p>The Shaq-Trump moment, however, stole the show. As <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/nba\/handshake-between-shaquille-oneal-donald-trump-is-turning-heads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Athlon Sports<\/a> noted, their respectful handshake especially turned heads, showcasing the admiration between the two.<\/p>\n<p>(Athlon also noted that this handshake came after a separate O&rsquo;Neal incident in which he seemed to threaten an online streamer\/content creator, Adin Ross.)<\/p>\n<p>For O&rsquo;Neal fans, seeing him show respect to Trump highlighted his ability to connect across spheres. Shaq has always been a unifying figure in a generally polarizing world.<\/p>\n<p>Trump, a longtime UFC fan and standing WWE Hall of Famer (both UFC and WWE are owned by the same mega-entity), thrived in the energetic environment. His face-to-face moment with O&rsquo;Neal drew massive attention from the crowd, if only for the rare visual of the president being dwarfed.<\/p>\n<p>The event delivered for fight fans, as well, with Volkanovski&rsquo;s title win and Pimblett&rsquo;s upset over Chandler providing thrilling moments.<\/p>\n<p>Fans of both Shaq and Trump saw the night as a perfect blend of sports and star power. Their respectful exchange was truly epic &mdash; just look at how viral Martin&rsquo;s X post has gone.<\/p>\n<p>UFC 314 will be remembered for its fights, but O&rsquo;Neal and Trump&rsquo;s face-to-face moment will live on as a particular highlight.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Saturday, NBA icon Shaquille O\u2019Neal met President Donald Trump at UFC 314 in Miami\u2019s Kaseya Center, where they exchanged a respectful handshake that quickly gained attention online. The encounter, which was greeted with enthusiastic cheers, showcased the mutual respect between these two prominent figures. A video shared on X by White House communications advisor Margo Martin depicted O\u2019Neal leaning in to meet Trump eye-to-eye before extending his hand. Fans were thrilled to witness this meeting of sports and cultural legends, as social media buzzed with positive reactions to their interaction<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2423339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Trump-v-Shaq.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32319,53423,7269,37819,53347],"class_list":["post-2423338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-donald-trump","tag-epic-moment","tag-respect","tag-shaquille-oneal","tag-ufc-314"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Trump-v-Shaq.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2423338"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2423342,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423338\/revisions\/2423342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2423339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2423338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2423338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2423338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}